Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
EPA's efforts to clean up school buses will face harsh scrutiny in the House tomorrow.
Why it matters: Electric school buses are becoming a favorite tool in the Biden administration's electrification efforts.
- Republicans are framing the issue as a potential vehicle for government waste, though no evidence of it exists yet.
Driving the news: House Energy and Commerce Republicans are holding an oversight hearing about the EPA inspector general's audit of the agency's Clean Bus program.
- The program offers rebates and grants to school districts for electric and low-emissions school buses.
- EPA IG Sean O'Donnell will testify at the hearing.
An E&C Republican aide told Axios the committee is bringing in the watchdog to present the "latest findings" in the audit, which is not completed yet.
- The goal is to "build more interest" in the audit and "put it on a lot of people's radars," the aide said.
Between the lines: Republicans are concerned with how many electric buses are being funded by the program versus propane and natural gas-based vehicles.
- They point to legislative language that said half the money should go to "clean buses," which aren't just electric ones.
- The EPA, per the aide, told the committee it believes it's following the letter of the law and simply got tons of demand for the electric models.
The big picture: The Clean Bus program, which received $5 billion in the infrastructure law, is leading to more electric school bus procurement, said Meredith Epstein, manager of federal policy for electric transportation at the World Resources Institute.
- Epstein noted the infrastructure law separately plussed up IG accounts so they could monitor how funds are doled out. "We don't expect anything noteworthy to come out of [the hearing]... This is government doing its job."
The intrigue: We also expect the hearing will also be a platform for Republicans to criticize the vehicle range and maintenance costs tied to electric school buses.
What they're saying: EPA "looks forward to answering any future questions from the Inspector General about the program as we work to reduce pollution and protect children's health for many years to come," spokeswoman Shayla Powell told Axios in a statement.
